Related to the moral panic model is the lament that young people are uninvolved in political life, apathetic and civically disengaged. “They don”t vote, they don’t care about politics.”

According to a study funded by Pew Charitable Trusts, many young adults disagree with these criticism, citing a statistical increase in volunteerism and voting. They also link a disdain for politics to corruption and lack of accountability to young people’s needs and concerns.They argue that their definitions for what constitutes engagement in civic life - is different than adult stereotypes.

For example,  how youth choose to spend their money can attest to their sense of social responsibility in the realm of consumerism. Youth often use social networking sites to build connections around issues and ideas. The largest student walk out in the country protesting unfair immigration policies was organized by youth on MySpace.

Several social scientists are finding evidence that the interactivity of certain video games and other online activities actually increases the sense of agency and decision-making ability of youth.

How do you define civic engagement? How do you use your digital native culture to engage in political life? Can you use youth culture to build connections, debate ideas, and mobilize each other to take actions of social benefit?

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